a) I technically study an Arts (Communication) degree and am thus entitled to extended periods of bludging,
b) Fiction is so much more seductive than my actual life at the moment, and
c) I am determined to live in a perpetual haze of denial and escapism until Summer comes round and takes me out on a date.
So because it's Sunday night and I've just returned from seven hours of migraine-inducing, throat-destroying tutoring work, I'm just going to sit here in bed and blog about films. Hope y'all don't mind.
Film #1: Dead Poets Society
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Summary
An English teacher inspires the students of a conservative and prestigious elite prep school to pursue their passions and "Seize The Day".
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Yes, I finally got around to watching it after hearing the news about Robin Williams. I thought it was about time I got over my English Extension prejudice (fuck you Romanticism) and gave this one a go. And I can't believe I waited this long because English-loving, high school Cynthia would've worshiped this film and all its messages. Embrace life and laughter! Write stories! Start a super-secret club in the woods dedicated to literary prowess! HELLS YES! Of course, I am much more cynical these days (thanks to society crushing all my dreams and hopes and stuff) but hey, I can recognise a noble message when I see one.
John Keating (Robin Williams) was the English teacher I never had. The missing figure of inspiration in my young, impressionable teenage years. I loved his balance of wisdom and passion and I also liked that Williams was able to bring his trademark comic personality to some of the scenes. Without giving too much away, the ending broke my heart into a billion little black fragments. I felt like this was something that every parent needed to see in order to understand their child a little bit better.
Favorite Quote(s)
#2: Neil: [talking angrily to Todd] You're in the club! Being in the club means being stirred up by things! You look about as stirred up as a cesspool!
Verdict
Good film, great message, excellent execution. Not as boring as it sounds. And if I'm saying that, you know it must be true.
Film #2: Princess Mononoke
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A cursed samurai and wolf girl team up to save the forest from humanity's destruction.
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Hayao Miyazaki is my boo. I love him, I love his work and I especially love that his idea of a gourmet dinner is ramen. Spirited Away was my childhood and Howl's Moving Castle taught me that 2D blond guys in tights can have sex appeal. I guess I was wary of revisiting some of his earlier works since Laputa Castle In the Sky had been a bit of a letdown. Boy was I wrong.
The visuals were stunning, the storyline was epic and everything had that trademark Miyazaki quirkiness/wtfuckery.
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| Shhhh don't question it. You will only hurt your brain. (Source) |
There were so many heavy themes being addressed here: from environmentalism and industrialization to feminism. But Miyazaki manages to explore them in a way that doesn't involve heavy-handed force feeding. That's what I like about his films. They're so open to interpretation. And if you don't want to think so hard, then that's fine. Just sit back and enjoy the wonderful score, action-packed sequences and realistic little details that he manages to sneak into a full-blown fantasy film.
Favourite Quote
Hii-sama: You cannot change fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose.
Verdict
Summary
Five unlikely space heroes band together to defeat the ultimate baddie from world domination.
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Because of all the hype, I was expecting it to be amazeballs. It wasn't...but it was still pretty great. It had that trademark campy Marvel vibe and the humour was outrageously overblown (in a good way though). Storyline and acting was pretty standard but it was definitely fun. I mean, who doesn't like a good, creative prison break or epic training montage once in a while? And sometimes, the only thing that can take your mind of your troubles is a well placed explosion or two.
Bald and blue-ified Karen Gillan was a bit of shock. I never noticed how skinny and well, gangly she was. I was excited to see Lee Pace in the opening credits but was left disappointed when his beautiful eyebrows never made an appearance. Also was a bit confused and thought they'd cast that guy from Empire in the Sun as The Collector but it turned out to be some other guy...
Favourite Quote
Gamora: I'm a warrior, an assassin. I don't dance.
Peter Quill: Really? Well, on my planet, we have a legend about people like you. It's called Footloose. And in it, a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that, dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.
Gamora: ...Who put the sticks up their butts?
Verdict
Heaps of fun. Very hard to take seriously because of the overabundance of humour but then again, doing so would be missing the whole point of the film. Definitely worth going to the cinemas for but if you're too lazy, well I predict that, in a few years time, this is going to be one of those overly recycled films on commercial TV.
A teenage girl finds that she has the ability to leap through time With her newfound power, she tries to use it to her advantage, but soon finds that tampering with time can lead to some rather discomforting results.
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Imagine a warm summer day. You're lying on the grass by the river staring up at the wide expanse of blue sky. You're supposed to be in school but you and your best friend decided to jig for the day. Later you might head off into the city to grab a bite to eat but for now, you're perfectly happy just lying there having a D&M. There's no rush to do anything. You're young and you're free and you've got all the time ahead of you to be who you want to be.
This film captures those moments of youth in such a bittersweet way but at the same time also manages to incorporate a thought-provoking time travel aspect. Whilst deceptively light on the surface, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time explores some really dense existential issues and like most time-travel fiction, really causes you to think about the moral issues associated with such powers. It can be a bit dark at times and I think that's a good thing because a good film always keeps you on your toes.
The romance is supposed to be a secondary aspect to the plot but it does creep up on you and before you know it, 98 minutes is up and you're yelling at the TV screen like an emotional lunatic. Something about this movie just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I'm having trouble putting it into words but trust me when I say that it does things to your emotions. I really like the style of this director (Mamoru Hosoda) and will definitely be checking out his other works (e.g. Wolf Children) when I have time.
Favourite Quote
Miyuki Konno: [trying to prevent Makoto from jumping *leaping* out of the window] Big sis, no! Don't! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It was all my fault. Why are you doing this? Because I ate your pudding?
Makoto Konno: Wh-Why what?
Miyuki Konno: Big sis, don't die!
Makoto Konno: I won't!
Miyuki Konno: Then where are you going?
Makoto Konno: To the convenience store!
Miyuki Konno: If you want pudding, I'll go buy it for you
Verdict
For me, a good film is one which makes you feel something by the end, whether it's happiness, sadness or something a little more intangible and unidentifiable. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one such film. Even if you're not into Japanese animations, I still think the storyline makes it worth checking out. Definitely one of my new favourites.
Favourite Quote
Hii-sama: You cannot change fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose.
Verdict
My #1 recommendation for anyone looking for a bit of escapism (or just needs something to cheer them up after a long hard day). Absolutely beautiful from start to finish. What more can I say?
Tyler Durden: All the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.
Film #3: Fight Club
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Summary
An insomniac office worker meets a daredevil soap-maker and they form an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Brad Pitt's abs. The end.
Okay, in all seriousness though, I'm not quite sure what to think of this film. There's nothing I would fault about the storyline or cinematography (mad props to the camera guy for all that ab focus) but I wouldn't say I wholly enjoyed the movie. Maybe it's because I almost fell asleep at the end or maybe the sweaty male form was just too much of a distraction for my pitiful, shallow brain but I could not focus on anything and as a result, the ending lost a bit of its impact.
I do know that Helena Bonham Carter was fabulous (as always) and Brad Pitt (who I normally can't stand) was surprisingly good as the anti-authority, rebellious figure. But apart from that, I don't have any additional comments. Maybe this is one of those films that gets better with each subsequent viewing.
Favourite Quote
Verdict
On a scale of pot belly to six pack, I would say this falls into the "nicely defined" category. If nothing else, it is quite a nice film to look at.
Film #4: Guardians of the Galaxy
Five unlikely space heroes band together to defeat the ultimate baddie from world domination.
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Because of all the hype, I was expecting it to be amazeballs. It wasn't...but it was still pretty great. It had that trademark campy Marvel vibe and the humour was outrageously overblown (in a good way though). Storyline and acting was pretty standard but it was definitely fun. I mean, who doesn't like a good, creative prison break or epic training montage once in a while? And sometimes, the only thing that can take your mind of your troubles is a well placed explosion or two.
Bald and blue-ified Karen Gillan was a bit of shock. I never noticed how skinny and well, gangly she was. I was excited to see Lee Pace in the opening credits but was left disappointed when his beautiful eyebrows never made an appearance. Also was a bit confused and thought they'd cast that guy from Empire in the Sun as The Collector but it turned out to be some other guy...
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| The resemblance is uncanny... (Source) |
Gamora: I'm a warrior, an assassin. I don't dance.
Peter Quill: Really? Well, on my planet, we have a legend about people like you. It's called Footloose. And in it, a great hero, named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that, dancing, well, is the greatest thing there is.
Gamora: ...Who put the sticks up their butts?
Verdict
Heaps of fun. Very hard to take seriously because of the overabundance of humour but then again, doing so would be missing the whole point of the film. Definitely worth going to the cinemas for but if you're too lazy, well I predict that, in a few years time, this is going to be one of those overly recycled films on commercial TV.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
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Summary
Non-Spoilery Thoughts
Imagine a warm summer day. You're lying on the grass by the river staring up at the wide expanse of blue sky. You're supposed to be in school but you and your best friend decided to jig for the day. Later you might head off into the city to grab a bite to eat but for now, you're perfectly happy just lying there having a D&M. There's no rush to do anything. You're young and you're free and you've got all the time ahead of you to be who you want to be.
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The romance is supposed to be a secondary aspect to the plot but it does creep up on you and before you know it, 98 minutes is up and you're yelling at the TV screen like an emotional lunatic. Something about this movie just grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I'm having trouble putting it into words but trust me when I say that it does things to your emotions. I really like the style of this director (Mamoru Hosoda) and will definitely be checking out his other works (e.g. Wolf Children) when I have time.
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Miyuki Konno: [trying to prevent Makoto from jumping *leaping* out of the window] Big sis, no! Don't! I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It was all my fault. Why are you doing this? Because I ate your pudding?
Makoto Konno: Wh-Why what?
Miyuki Konno: Big sis, don't die!
Makoto Konno: I won't!
Miyuki Konno: Then where are you going?
Makoto Konno: To the convenience store!
Miyuki Konno: If you want pudding, I'll go buy it for you
Verdict
For me, a good film is one which makes you feel something by the end, whether it's happiness, sadness or something a little more intangible and unidentifiable. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is one such film. Even if you're not into Japanese animations, I still think the storyline makes it worth checking out. Definitely one of my new favourites.
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